03/28/2007
WHAT IS THE PROCESS FOR A REFERRAL YOU ASK? (Borrowed from a fellow AWAA client)
This explanation came directly from our agency rep a few weeks ago:
"There is no formal waiting system in Ethiopia with lists of children to be matched with lists of families. Instead U.S. agencies in Ethiopia work with certain orphanages in Ethiopia whom they build relationships with and receive referrals from these orphanages. Basically, the matching process is through a conglomeration of people and agencies including the orphanage directors, America World's in-country staff representative, the Ministry of Women's Affairs and the Ministry of Civil and Social Affairs.
Our full-time in-country staff representative is building relationships with several orphanages, all of which are located in Addis. AWAA will also soon be working with government-based orphanages in Addis through the Ministry of Civil and Social Affairs.
Before a child is referred to a family, he or she goes through extensive medical testing, which includes HIV and Hep. C PCRs. FYI: these medicals are conducted in an international clinic, and the blood work is referred out to European clinics for results, so we do trust the medical information we're given as it is based upon Western standards. Once a child match has a clear medical, we at AWAA in VA can call the family and give them their referral, which includes a biographical sketch of the child's life (don't get your hopes up, these sketches have very limited information!) and a few child photos.
After we receive a family's acceptance letter, our in-country staff representative will begin working toward finalizing a family's adoption and then the family will travel to pick up the child shortly thereafter. Eventually, AWAA might use the transition home system that several U.S. agencies use to house children whom have been accepted by a family but are waiting on court finalization. Because our program is so new, for now we intend to keep the children in their respective orphanages until a family travels to pick up the child.
I hope this clarifies some of the "waiting" process for you."
Comments (0)03/24/2007
This is our timeline so far:
July 2006 - Began to pray!
August 2006 - Started researching countries and agencies
September 2006 - Prayed some more
October 2006 - Felt God leading us to Africa
November 2006 - We decided for sure on Ethiopia and found a great agency
December 2006 - Applied to agency
January 2007 - Accepted by agency
February 2007 - Started gathering paperwork for our homestudy and dossier.
There it is in a nutshell!
Comments (0)03/23/2007
We Are Growing Again!
I will try to post a little information on what our process will be like in the near future! We had such a great time sharing our journey to Taiwan that we thought we would share again!
We are in the "paperchase" phase now of our process which means we have a list of what seems to be a million documents we have to compile. After the first batch of documents are complete, we will schedule our homestudy. A Homestudy is when a licensed social worker with a placing agency comes into your home to "evaluate" your family. They will determine if we are suited to raise a child! Kind of late since we already have 5 but it has to be done. The social worker will speak to each of us individually to get our take on adding another child to our family. Each of our children will be interviewed by her also. She will check to see that our home has adequate space for another child and then once we are said to be fit parents and siblings, the social worker will write a favorable homestudy and approve us to adopt another child. Once this step is completed, we will start to compile what's called a dossier. A dossier is another compilation of paperwork that will be sent to Ethiopia along with the homestudy. I will post later what all is needed for a dossier. It's kind of interesting!
So, that's where we are now! Stay tuned and please keep our family in your prayers!!
PRAYER REQUESTS:
Smooth paperchase.
Get our homestudy scheduled and underway
Fundraising ideas
Comments (0)01/15/2007
WE ARE APPROVED!!!!! FINALLY after waiting for 20 days instead of the usual 10!!! We applied at possibly the worst time of the year! Too many holidays in which the office was closed! Oh well, I think God is just preparing me for what lies ahead!
We received a call from Katie Spencer with AWAA today!! We are approved and should be receiving an overview packet that contains the actual contracts and agreements. After signing these, we will officially start the "paper-chase"! Can't wait to get started!!!!
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